//------------------------------// // S2 Episode 8: When the Dam Breaks... // Story: The Mute Octave // by HenryAnthonyCourtler //------------------------------// Season 2 Finale Part One: When the Dam Breaks... Weeks had passed without further incident between Octavia and himself. He had done everything in his power to make sure of that while respecting her space. Eventually things had returned to normal, though not quite. ‘It feels like… like we’re closer, but I can’t put my finger on it.’ Henry thought to himself as he left his music theory class, making way for the student lounge. ‘In a way, I can’t really complain though. I rather her and I be close than deal with that awkward mess again.’ His phone suddenly began to chime. Pulling it out, he smiled at the message on screen. ‘Finishing up with club. See you in fifteen.-Octavia’ Henry stopped at the vending machine, buying himself a lemonade before  walking into the lounge and spotting mac. Henry sat down across from him, leaning across to tap him on the leg. Mac looked up from his book and put it down. “Heya there, Henry. How ya doing?” he queried  The young man took a deep drink of his lemonade before smiling. ‘Good.’ he wrote on his phone. “Mind if Ah have a sip?” Mac asked as he stretched out, yawning softly. Henry shrugged and tossed the bottle to Mac, who thanked him with a nod before downing over half of it.  Henry shot him an annoyed look as he took the bottle back and finished the drink. Mac put a bookmark in his book and set it back into his bag before leaning forward to Henry. “Yer girl almost done?” Henry quirked an eyebrow questioningly before pulling out his smartphone.  He sent a quick What do you mean, my girl? to Mac, who read it a few times before lazily replying. “Well, yer an item now, ain’tcha? Ah’ve seen the way ya look at ‘er.” Mac sat up slightly, looking at Henry with a cheeky grin. “It’s the same as Ah’ am ‘round Tara.  So’s it makes sense, yea?” She said she wasn’t ready. “Pfft, an’ yet she’s always hangin’ onta you, cryin’ inta your shoulder when she’s scared or sad? You need ta man up, grow some balls, and either tell ‘er ya love ‘er again, or tell ‘er that ya ain’t her teddy bear. Well, not ‘less she’s your snoogily-woogily shmoopsy-poo.” Both men gave a slight shudder.  “Why the ‘ell did Ah’ say that...” Mac muttered under his breath.  A cacophony of laughing and singing voices echoing through the hallways signaled the choir class’ dismissal.   One voice in particular almost effortlessly overshadowed the rest.  “I can see cleeaaarly now, the raaiiinn is gooonne~!”  But then again, Nikki rarely had to try to be louder than everyone else.  “Club was so much fun today~!” Nikki squealed while hugging her flugelhorn tightly. “Yes, it... it certainly was, now Nikki,” Octavia came to a stop and pulled her friend to the side, out of the way of their club mates. “Why in the world did you bring a flugelhorn to Choir?” “I wanted to win a bet that the baritone-tenor, Adam could match its pitch.  I didn’t think Mr. Morrison would get so upset.” Octavia spotted Henry and Mac, and walked over to them as quickly as possible without looking like she was running away from Nikki. “Oh, Henry! I’m so glad to see you, how was your day?” Henry smiled while tapping at his slate. “It’s been fine, thank you.” “Good! Because I was wondering—” “Hey~!” Nikki interjected. “—Nikki and I were wondering, if we could do something fun this afternoon?” “Yeah, I’ve never hung out with you before! I’ve always wondered what it’s like talking to someone who can’t talk back.  Are you like a more expressive dolly or do you actually just sit there like a teddy bear and listen to people and let them hug you and squeeze you and tell you that you’re fuzzy or...” Henry chuckled silently, shaking his head ruefully as he typed out a response. Tapping Nikki’s arm to get her attention, he showed her his slate. ‘Sure, I think we could hang out. I’ve got some other friends we could pick up, too.’ Nikki’s eyes widened. “You drive!?” He nodded his head before shrugging his shoulders. Octavia answered for him. “Of course he does.  How do you think that we get here for classes?” Nikki gave a cheerful giggle.  “I thought you drove.” “I do drive,” Octavia nodded.  “But Henry is much better than I am, but that’s probably because I’m ‘old fashioned’ and more accustomed to pulling carts rather than driving them.” “Were you Amish once?” Mac asked. Octavia outwardly held her composure but was inwardly frozen, momentarily uncertain of how to answer until Nikki unintentionally saved her. “Alright, awesome! Octy has my address, so just pick me up there! This is gonna be great~!” As she walked out, she barely weaved around a guy on his way in, who seemed surprised that there was someone in front of him. “What the...” He looked after her before shaking his head and continuing inside. “Hey, guys. Octavia.” Octavia smiled. “Nick, always a pleasure.” Mac matched her smile with a grin of his own. “Howdy.” Henry offered a wave. “So, uh...” Nick scratched the back of his head as he trailed off, trying to get a conversation going in the suddenly too quiet music hall. Octavia decided to get things rolling. “Nick, darling, how are things this fine day? You look good, did you sleep well last night?” “My days are as good as life usually allows them to be, I guess.” Nick shrugged. Henry opened his backpack, grabbing a coke can and tossing it to Nick. “Thanks, Henry,” Nick mumbled as he opened the can. “And yeah, I’ve been sleeping...” he trailed off, a slight blush tinting his cheeks. “... well. I’ve been sleeping well.” He took a swig of his coke and looked away. “So, uh... Mac, how’s Jackie?” Mac grinned, his eyes narrowing. “Well, she’s been sleepin’ like a bump on a log, and she’s been peppier than a cheerleader on a high, so Ah’d wager that she enjoys her little soirees with ya.” He guffawed as Nick’s blush grew deeper, and Nick responded by finishing his drink and throwing the can at Mac. “G-Get your mind out of the gutter, idiot. She’s your sister for fuck’s—" A thick hand grabbed Nick by the shoulder, spinning him around. “So is this how things are between us now?”  said Kenne while flanked by his friend McGraw, a heavyset man with a large underbite and wearing a red flannel shirt and jeans on Kenne’s right.  On his left was Filipe, a tall and skinny Latin-American with black, spiky hair wearing a forest camo hoodie and cargo shorts. Nick narrowed his eyes and pushed Kenne away. “Fuck off, Kenne. We ended that bullshit friendship the day you turned into a major assclown.” Kenne started with an annoyed expression and took a gulp from his thermos before turning to Henry.  “You ain’t satisfied with your faggy little harem, you gotta take my friends, too?”  Kenne waved a hand dismissively. “Whatever, Nick. Like I give a damn. I just wanna know why you’re hanging out with Mutey and his gay country boyfriend.” A passing student laughed sarcastically. “That would have been funny if anyone actually gave a shit about what you have to say!” Kenne snarled and glared at the other guy, but he just walked past, not giving Kenne a second glance. Mac was standing by then, his eyes full of contempt, but no real anger. “Listen up, buddy, y’all can call me whatever you want but I’ll not have you raggin’ on my friends.” Octavia stood by Henry and folded her arms as she shot Keene a glare. Nick also nodded, a small smirk on his face. “I’m seriously sick of your shit, Kenne.” Kenne bit his lower lip, fist clenched as he quickly began to lose his ire.  His eyes narrowed dangerously at the group. “You know what, Nick, old buddy, old pal? You’re just like your mother, you know that? A bitch, just waiting to get put in her place!” Nick took an aggressive step towards Keene and Mac launched himself in between Kenne and his friend to keep them separated.  But as Mac stretched out his arms between them, McGraw leaped over Kenne’s left shoulder and suckerpunched Mac on the cheek.  Mac reeled and covered his head as McGraw continued to press him. Kenne shoved Nick away.  Nick cocked a fist back as Kenne moved forward.  But before he could swing, Kenne slammed his fist into the side of Nick’s head, causing him to stumble. Octavia shot over to Mac and planted her foot into McGraw’s side.  She wasn’t certain if she did any damage but she managed to shove him away from Mac just long enough for Mac to regain his composure.  Octavia attempted to follow up on McGraw but found herself barred off by Felipe.  Before she could react, her head was jerked to the side and was followed up by the stinging sensation from Felipe’s slap.  She recovered quickly and found the tall Mexican grabbing a hold of the cloth on her shoulder.   “Big mistake!” she barked as she lowered herself into a shallow horse stance, gripped his hand on her shoulder and yanked him down.  Her next movement was to kick through the back of his knee as hard as she could.  When Felipe’s leg collapsed from the sweep, she pulled down on his shoulder again, throwing him to the ground with a thud.  In the same movement, she dropped down and drilled her fist into his chest so hard that she could almost feel the floor through his body.  She heard all of the air leave his lungs and knew he was done. Nick and Kenne were a tangled flurry of fists.  Henry watched and tried to get himself to move as he watched Nick get pushed back towards the wall.  When Henry realized that Nick couldn’t come back on his own, he ran towards Kenne. A split second after Kenne’s fist delivered a meaty sounding slap to Nick’s cheek. Henry grabbed Kenne around his waist and yanked him off.  Despite Henry’s efforts to bring him down, Kenne stabilized himself and grabbed Henry’s collar.  With a strong shove, he pinned Henry against the wall. Kenne sneered. “What, aren’t ya gonna hide behind yer little whore again, you silent freak a nature?”  Henry struggled and tried to punch Kenne’s grip lose through his ribs.  Kenne didn’t seem to be feeling the blows.  “Why don’t you just go crying back home to mommy— oh, wait, you can’t, isn’t that right? You can’t even cry, you stupid mute!” Kenne laughed. Kenne only saw Henry’s face harden before a pair knuckles drove through his lower mandible.  Kenne instantly released his grip and reeled back, clutching his jaw.  “ARRRGH!” Kenne yelled, his rage boiling over even as some blood started trickling from the corner of his mouth. “Whaff washhat, you fhukken panshy! I beht yher dead mhuher coold het better!” Henry snarled, the noise coming out gravelly on his disused vocal chords as he threw another fist flew at Kenne’s face.  Before it could connect, Kenne weaved and countered with a solid punch to Henry’s sternum. Henry was stunned and slightly winded from the blow.  Just then, his adrenaline kicked in and he caught Kenne trying to follow up on his attack.   He toughed out the shock to throw a counter jab at Kenne’s face.  It connected and stunned Kenne just long enough for Henry to weave behind him and place a side kick on his Kenne’s tailbone.   “Sunnovabitch!” Kenne stumbled forward, snarling as he turned around to see Henry’s fists raised, once again in a fighting stance. “I’m going to kill you!” Kenne rushed at Henry, one arm cocked back to throw a punch.  Henry ducked under the attack and spun around, allowing the punch to fly over his left shoulder.  He grabbed Kenne’s arm and yanked it down over his shoulder while simultaneously popped up his hips.  Henry pulled Kenne over his back and slammed him on the tile floor. Nick sat down on the floor, back resting against a pillow as his vision swam. His head felt light and his limbs felt like heavy weights from the solid blow he took. Pulling out his phone, he struggled to look through his contacts before clicking on Jackie’s number and dialing it. For several moments, the phone rung before she came in. “Howdy Nick, what’s up?” She asked curiously. Nick’s stomach clenched as he fell over onto his side, groaning as he tried to keep his lunch down. “N-not....good...” he panted out weakly. “What happened?” She asked worriedly. “...” “Nick?” He silently laid on his side, grunting softly. “Nick!” Jackie yelled as she tried to get his attention. “C-commons...fight..” Nick muttered quietly as he tried to sit up, only to fall back onto the ground. “Don’t ya dare pass out on me!” She cried out. “I’ll be there right quick.” Jackie reassured, hanging up as she ran back towards the commons from the parking lot exit. Mac grunted as he took a kick to the chest, sparing a single glance at Nick only to look at him worriedly before taking a blow to the side of the head. He grunted, kneeing McGraw in the sternum in retaliation. “Why don’t ya.... back off, cowboy?” McGraw panted out. He snorted. “Why don’t you stop... starting stupid fights then.” McGraw threw himself at Mac, slamming him into a nearby pillar, leaving him breathless. He punched the thicker man, but nothing seemed to stop him as he wailed on his sides. Getting desparate Mac looked around and saw a hefty textbook within his range. Grabbing it, he turned it onto its spine and slammed it repeatedly on his head until McGraw fell to the floor with a thump. Kicking his side, Mac snorted and walked over to Nick, kneeling down and picking up the semi-unconscious man and laying him down on the couch. “Nick? Nick!?” Cried out a worried, feminine voice. She noticed them and ran over to him, hugging him tightly. “What the hell happened to Nick!?” Jackie demanded, sternly gazing at him. “Kenne and his goons started a fight and Nick here got invol--” “Ya darn fool! Look what happened to him!” She yelled at Mac.         Henry snorted in contempt before dusting himself off and turning around, slowly making his way back towards Octavia. Kenne coughed, and wheezed out one last quip. “Fuck... you... crawl back to your mother’s whore of a replacement already, you worthless sack of shit!” Henry’s eyes widened, and Octavia took a step towards him, calling his name. “HENRY! Don’t listen to him!” She desperately pleaded only to be ignored by him.         Henry’s body shook with uncontrollable rage as a memory flashed over his vision. ‘Henry! Hide under the seat and be a good boy!’         ‘Mommy, is it a bad guy?’         ‘Yes, now just be quiet, okay? Be quiet, and the bad guy will go away.’         Henry began breathing faster and faster, his eyes bugging out as he turned towards Kenne. Bang! Bang! Bang! His mother fell to the floor, surprise in her eyes, until they found Henry. ‘H-Henry....’         Kenne just stood there and smiled, blood covering his teeth as it dribbled from his split lip.         “Heh, stupid bitch.” the man stopped long enough to kick the gun away and pick up her purse. Henry could reach the gun. He had seen mommy shoot it. All he had to do was pick it up, and everything would be better...         “What’s the matter, mutey? Cat got your tongue?” Kenne teased, howling with laughter as he smirked triumphantly at the empty expression on his face.         His small hands wrapped around the grip, pulling it up as he stood up. He climbed onto the seat with a loud creak. The man turned around, eyes widening in surprise at the sight of a mere child pointing a handgun at him.         “H-henry!”         Henry growled and jumped back on Kenne, bringing his fist back and driving it into Kenne’s face.  Kenne’s nose gave a satisfying snapping sound and blood gushed forth like a fountain.  Raising his hands in a vain attempt to defend himself, Henry shouted hoarsely, relentlessly punching him over and over wherever he couldn’t block his face.         Before he could throw another strike, something grabbed onto his arm and yanked him back hard. He turned to see Octavia standing there with tears running down her cheeks. “...ry! Henry, listen to me! Listen to me, please! You’re better than this! You-you don’t have to do this, please, I-I’m begging you, Henry, jus-just stop!” Henry’s breath was coming in short gasps, his heart pumping like he’d just gone on three marathons without stopping.         Octavia choked out a sob as Henry’s arm relaxed, and her knees gave out, pulling both her and Henry to the floor, where she wrapped her arms around him and cried into his shoulder. “Please, Henry... please... please... I don’t... I don’t...” her words caught in her throat as sobs continued wracking her body.         The world blurred around him, and Henry realized that he, too, was crying. He held Octavia close, but even so, he felt so far away. ‘Do I... Do I really only see her as... as my mother’s replacement?’ He shuddered as the thought went through his head, his gut telling him that Kenne had been, for once in his miserable existence, completely right.         Did he really love Octavia, or just who she could be? Outside the building, an ambulance pulled up, and Henry suddenly found himself dragged to his feet. “C’mon, Henry, we need ta get ya out the back way b’fore the cops show up,” Mac said as he hurriedly pulled him away, Nick following closely behind. Octavia got up and shakily walked over to Mac, leaning against him to keep from falling as she cried. Henry pulled away from Mac for a moment, approaching the downed form of Kenne. He crouched onto the balls of his feet, staring at Kenne’s fear stricken face. The one who had tormented him for years laid on the floor because of him...and the best part was that he didn’t feel a single ounce of guilt for it. Kenne weakly shuffled away from him, babbling incoherently as he tried to put distance between the two of them. Henry gave him a wicked grin, all the malice hidden beneath the surface pulling through before he spat on Kenne, feeling satisfied. Mac grabbed Henry’s arm again and pulled him through the back hallway and out into the parking lot, rushing him along to Jackie’s jeep, where she was waiting with the engine running. Mac pushed Henry and Octavia into the back seat and jumped into the passenger before looking at his sister. “Alright,” he started, before a car door slammed and Nick was next to Henry, his eyes wide. “The cops are already on their way, guys!” “Okay sis, you heard the man, let’s roll out!” Nick looked back at the music hall. “But what about Henry’s ca—” The rest of his sentence was cut off by the tires peeling out as the car shot out of its parking spot, heading down the hill and out the back entrance of the campus. “What the Hell happened, you guys, that made Nick of all people call me?! The first time he shows initiative, an’ it’s ta call me an’ say that y’all need an escape route!?” Mac shuffled uncomfortably in the passenger seat, knowing full well he couldn’t avoid telling her. He turned around and gave Henry an apologetic look despite the mute man being more concerned with Octavia’s well being. “Well, sis, ya see... Kenne got a couple of his goons together, and—” The jeep lurched as Jackie slammed on the brakes, the vehicle bouncing on its shocks as she drove up onto the curb and into a small gravel lot. “He. Did. WHAT?! And you guys didn’t think to call ME FIRST?! Or, I dunno, the COPS?!” Mac gulped. “W-well, we was a bit, uh, preoccupied at th’ time...” Jackie threw off her seatbelt and turned around in her seat, grabbing Henry by the arm and holding it over his head. “Are y’all okay, Henry? He didn’t bang ya up too bad, did he? An’ you, Nick? Are y’all alright?!” Nick rolled his eyes, unable to hide the slight smirk on his face. “Oh, you should’ve seen it, Jackie. I mean, look at him. Just covered in battle scars. Maybe if you would’ve gotten there sooner, you could have helped the poor little guy out...” Jackie huffed in annoyance, but managed to keep her glare firmly locked on Henry. All he could simply do was look away, unable to meet Jackie’s gaze. “Henry’s alright, sis, in fact... Well... Ah’ ain’t never seen him fight like he did. He made mah fight with McGraw look like a drunken brawl in an old Western flick.” Octavia made a sound, but her voice cracked before it even became a word. She took several deep breaths, before trying again. “Kenne, he... he didn’t really have a chance. Henry got him down in only a few hits, and then... and then he got back up, an-and... What he said was s-so horrible, a-and... and... Henry just... just lost control. He looked like he wanted to kill him. I’ve... I’ve never been so scared in my life...” Henry shifted his arm to put it around Octavia’s shoulders, but she turned away and leaned against the door, her sobs returning even though her eyes were burned red from a lack of tears. Jackie looked up as a group of three police cars passed by, sirens blaring, headed towards the college. “Okay, everybody. Henry, we’re takin’ you home. If the cops pick you up from there, please, don’t struggle. Ah’m sure they’ll figure everything out. An’ besides, ‘Tavi, Nick, an’ Mac’ll go down to the station an’ file a report for the four o’ ya, alright?” Henry nodded dumbly, suddenly feeling exhausted. Another group of squad cars blazed past. Jackie sighed before turning the car, heading out of the empty lot and back on the streets.